She ends several of the chapters with recipes. The one I am going to make this weekend is so simple it isn't really a recipe. But it sounds delicious.

ASPARAGUS WITH BALSAMIC

Cook the fattest asparagus you can find, making sure to not overcook it. Serve with a little bowl of the best balsamic vinegar you have. Eat with fingers, dipping spears in the vinegar.

Reichl's description of her first encounter with this dish brings back feelings of early food discoveries. It was the late '70s and she had never eaten asparagus with her fingers and had never heard of, let alone tasted, balsamic vinegar.